Biodiversity Traits

Biodiversity Traits

Trait based research is a vital framework when describing community composition at a macroecological scale and linking biodiversity patterns to food webs and ecosystem functioning (e.g., Reiss et al. 2009, Heino et al. 2013). Functional or life history traits, also commonly known as “biodiversity traits,” are selected for in species, or families, under selection pressure from environmental conditions (Poff 1997). At species or higher taxonomic levels trait-based associations exhibit redundancy in stream ecosystems (Bêche and Statzner 2009) and thus are more effective in comparing biogeographically distinct ecosystems than are communities based on taxonomic composition alone (Heino et al. 2013). We will be sampling and collecting macroinvertebrates and fish to analyze the biodiversity trait composition of communities at multiple spatial scales. Benthic macroinvertebrates will be collected using Surber samplers, Hess samplers, and D-nets and preserved in ethanol for further laboratory analysis. Fish sampling will involve a mixture of backpack electrofishing and seining allowing for the live capture and release of fish after several general measurements are obtained. These analyses will help us to answer long debated questions concerning important determining factors in upstream to downstream patterns of river biodiversity.